Wasp and Bee Nest Removal SWMS

For pest control technicians, handymen, property maintenance crews and councils who treat and remove wasp and bee nests from houses, sheds, trees and structures. It follows the job in order, from nest assessment and allergy checks through safe zones, height access, power line checks, treatment, removal and sting response.

Removing a nest is not high risk construction work by itself, so WHS Regulation s 299 does not require a SWMS for it and no item is pre-ticked; the document then works as a written safe work procedure or task risk assessment. Tick the fall item (0) for work where a fall of more than 2 metres is possible, the energised electrical item (10) near live installations or services, or the powered mobile plant item (14) when an elevating work platform works among moving plant; a SWMS is legally required when the work is high risk construction work.

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Wasp and Bee Nest Removal SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Stings and multiple stings from agitated insects
• Severe allergic reactions
• Insecticide exposure to skin, eyes and lungs
• Falls from ladders, roofs and platforms
• Contact with overhead power lines
• Nests in meter boxes and electrical fittings
• Entering hot roof spaces and wall cavities
• Asbestos in eaves and sheeting
• Spray drift onto bystanders and pets
• Dropped tools and nest material

High Risk Construction Work

No high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this work is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick the items that apply to your job, such as a fall risk of more than 2 metres or work where powered mobile plant is moving.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Training in the products and application equipment used, covering label, SDS, mixing, PPE and spill response
• Any pest management licence or authority needed for pesticide use: not covered by this SWMS, confirm for your business
• Training in nest assessment, bee and wasp behaviour and safe retreat
• First aid equipment and access to first aid facilities as the first aid assessment decides, including for insect stings and allergic reactions (WHS Regulation s 42 and First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021)
• High risk work licence for a boom-type elevating work platform with a boom of 11 metres or more (Schedule 3, item 21)
• Competence in safe use of ladders and extension poles
• Asbestos awareness training so workers recognise suspect materials and stop
• Site induction

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• WHS Regulation: ss 42 (first aid), 52 and 355 (ignition sources), 78 (falls), 344, 346 and 351 (hazardous chemicals), 422 (asbestos), Schedule 3 item 21 (boom-type EWP licence)
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Labelling of Workplace Hazardous Chemicals Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead line exclusion zones (ss 10 to 13, Schedule 2), roof space work (ss 31 to 36)
• Safe Work Australia model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of biological hazards at work (guidance)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (13 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.